The first-round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs finished on a high note with a pair of Game 7s on consecutive nights, which featured a stirring comeback win by the Dallas Stars and an improbable rally and double-overtime victory for the Winnipeg Jets.
The page quickly turned to the second round, which begins Monday, May 5.
Our Sportsnaut hockey staff again takes a stab at predicting each series. Here’s how we did in the opening round, including overall record, which series we missed on and which series we picked correct winner and amount of games.
Ben Leeds (staff writer): 7-1; Missed: Avalanche; Perfect: Hurricanes
Jim Cerny (executive editor): 6-2; Missed: Avalanche, Kings; Perfect Capitals, Maple Leafs, Jets
Dane Walsh (staff writer): 6-2; Missed: Avalanche, Kings; Perfect: Capitals
John Kreiser (senior writer): 5-3; Missed: Lightning, Avalanche, Kings; Perfect: Capitals, Jets
Tom Castro (staff writer): 5-3; Missed: Devils, Avalanche, Kings; Perfect: Maple Leafs, Golden Knights
Eric Charles (staff writer): 5-3; Missed: Lightning, Avalanche, Kings; Perfect: Jets, Golden Knights
Related: NHL Games Today: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Schedule, Dates, Times, and Results
NHL playoff predictions: Picks for every 2nd-round series, 2025 Stanley Cup champion
Eastern Conference
Washington Capitals (M1) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (M2)
Season series: Hurricanes 2-1-1; Capitals 2-2-0
Series outlook: The top two teams in the Metropolitan face off in the second round after each advanced in five games. The Hurricanes took out an injury-depleted New Jersey Devils team in the first round. Though four of those five games were decided in overtime (three wins, one loss), the Hurricanes owned the puck and largely dominated territorially. When pushed in Game 5, they erased a 3-0 deficit for a 5-4 double-overtime win to send the Devils packing. Key for Carolina is the health of goalie Frederik Andersen, who was injured in a Game 4 collision with Timo Meier. Andersen had a 1.59 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in four games against the Devils and is the key to winning this second-round series for the Hurricanes. Carolina had 11 different goal scorers in the first round — they’re depth is legit. Keep an eye on forward Seth Jarvis, who has seven goals in 14 career games against the Capitals, and Andre Svechnikov, who scored five times (four goals at even strength) against the Devils.
The Capitals had 111 points, tops in the Eastern Conference, this season because they, too, have quality depth (seven players scored 20+ goals) and are a strong defensive team with solid goaltending. Logan Thompson stepped up in the first round against the Montreal Canadiens and allowed six goals in the four victories. It’ll be a battle of wills since each team wants to get in on the forecheck and go to work below the hash marks. Tom Wilson could be a difference maker for the Capitals here. And Washington also gets Aliaksei Protas back in the lineup after the 30-goal scorer played just one game due to injury in the first round. Oh, and they have some guy named Alex Ovechkin, who, at 39, scored four goals in five games including the Game 1 winner in overtime. The Capitals need to be better on their penalty kill, they were just 66.7 percent against the Canadiens. The Hurricanes were perfect on the PK in five games against the Devils.
Prediction: Hurricanes in 6. This is a flip of the coin. It’s going to be that close, but Carolina’s experience wins out in the end. — Jim Cerny
Staff Predictions:
John Kreiser (senior writer): Capitals in 7
Dane Walsh (staff writer): Capitals in 6
Tom Castro (staff writer): Hurricanes in 7
Eric Charles (staff writer): Capitals in 7
Ben Leeds: Capitals in 6
Toronto Maple Leafs (A1) vs. Florida Panthers (A3)
Season series: Panthers 3-1-0
Series outlook: The Maple Leafs survived a rugged first-round series, knocking off the upstart Ottawa Senators in six games. But now they take a big step up in class against another punishing opponent, which happens to be the defending Stanley Cup champion. So, to exorcise their playoff demons and reach the conference final for the first time since 2002 when they lost to the Hurricanes in six games, the Maple Leafs need to figure out how to defeat a Panthers team that simply doesn’t beat itself. Needless to say, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly and Co. must prove they can lead this team over the hump, finally. Toronto tightened up its defensive game under coach Craig Berube, and Anthony Stolarz — who won a ring with the Panthers last spring as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup — emerged as its No. 1 goalie, allowing just two goals in five of six games in the opening round. Toronto’s power play could be the difference maker in this series. Florida was the most penalized team in the NHL this season, and that five-forward PP1 for the Maple Leafs can be lethal. The flip side is that the Panthers can break your will with an outstanding penalty kill that was 88.9 percent in the first round and scored the second-most short-handed goals in the regular season.
It gives some pause that Matthew Tkachuk is not 100 percent healthy for the Panthers, though their heart-and-soul forward did have three goals and two assists when they eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the opening round. Also, defenseman Aaron Ekblad will miss Game 1 serving the second of his two-game suspension for concussing Brandon Hagel. And captain Aleksander Barkov was dinged up some in that Lightning series. Barkov and Sam Reinhart are key here, two talented offensive players, each of whom is a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the top defensive forward in the League. But the Panthers keep coming at you in relentless waves with the likes of Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and Anton Lundell two-way stalwarts. And Bobrovsky is a nice veteran safety net as the last line of defense. Florida wisely rested many of its key players down the stretch and it showed in the first round, when they Panthers wiped out a good Lightning team.
Prediction: Panthers in 6. This is going to be a tightly-played series, don’t expect to see a lot of breakaways or wide-open looks with these two teams. Toronto is a better playoff team now than when these teams met in the 2022-23 postseason, but Florida still does this style better. — Jim Cerny
Staff Predictions:
John Kreiser: Panthers in 6
Dane Walsh: Maple Leafs in 7
Tom Castro: Panthers in 6
Eric Charles: Panthers in 5
Ben Leeds: Panthers in 6
Western Conference
Vegas Golden Knights (P1) vs. Edmonton Oilers (P3)
Season series: Tied 2-2-0
Series outlook: Each of these teams had an early scare in the first round. The Golden Knights fell behind the Minnesota Wild 2-1 before righting themselves and winning three in a row to close out the series; and the Oilers lost the first two games to the Los Angeles Kings before winning four straight to advance. For the Golden Knights, keys to turning things around were Adin Hill’s improved play in goal as the series progressed and Jack Eichel’s production ticked up after he was held without a point the first three games. If Vegas is going to be able to keep with with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — each of whom was at the top of his powers in the first round for Edmonton — it needs more than one goal and five points from Eichel, who’s coming off a 28-goal, 94-point regular season. Of course, it can’t only be Eichel either. Vegas was fifth in the NHL averaging 3.34 goals per game this season, and second on the power play (28.3 percent); but didn’t score at the same rate in the first round. The Golden Knights also struggled to contain dynamic Wild star Kirill Kaprizov. That’s a problem because, well, the Oilers have McDavid and Draisaitl, not just one of the League’s top offensive players, but two.
Vegas should be able to get untracked offensively against Edmonton, which scored a lot (4.50 goals, tops in the League) in the first round, but allowed more goals per game than any other team (4.00), as well. The Kings made the Oilers look terrible in the first two games. But things got better when Calvin Pickard replaced Stuart Skinner in goal to start the final four. It’s not like Pickard was lights out — he did give up four goals twice in his four starts — but he was good enough and the Oilers covered up mistakes by outgunning the Kings 20-12 in those final four games. The Oilers had 13 players score a goal in the first round, nine with more than one. Evander Kane’s return after missing all season due to multiple surgeries is a big boost, and Trent Frederic was a nice, gritty bottom-six add ahead of the trade deadline.
Prediction: Golden Knights in 7. Don’t count Connor McDavid and Co. out here. This should be a real back and forth series, and the Oilers will make the Golden Knights uncomfortable many times with how the games are being played. Defense wins out in the end. And Vegas is the better defensive team. — Jim Cerny
Staff Predictions:
John Kreiser: Golden Knights in 6
Dane Walsh: Oilers in 7
Tom Castro: Golden Knights in 7
Eric Charles: Oilers in 7
Ben Leeds: Golden Knights in 7
Winnipeg Jets (C1) vs. Dallas Stars (C2)
Season series:
Series outlook: As mentioned above, both the Jets and Stars won a thrilling Game 7 to reach the second round, each staging a furious third-period comeback. The Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy this season, so they’re breathing a sigh of relief that they weren’t taken out in the first round, no matter how good Jordan Binnington and the St. Louis Blues played. The Jets have a serious home-ice advantage; they won all four games at home in the first round and are 34-7-4 at Canada Life Centre this season. They proved how resilient they are in Game 7, when they scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation to tie the score, then won it in double-OT. And they did so without their No., 1 center Mark Scheifele, who’s missed the past two games with an unspecified injury, and top defenseman Josh Morrissey, who left Game 7 in the first period and was unable to return. The status of each is a major X-factor in this series. The biggest one, though, is if Connor Hellebuyck can shed his checkered playoff past — which haunted him in the first round, when he had a gruesome .830 save percentage and was pulled in each Winnipeg loss in the series. The Jets are an outstanding defensive team (they allowed only 23.7 shots per game in the first round), which helps. But their goalie needs to be Vezina Hellebuyck and not the one who’s struggled throughout his career in the biggest games.
Speaking of resilient, meet the Stars, who eliminated an elite opponent, the Colorado Avalanche, without stud defenseman Miro Heiskanen or leading goal scorer Jason Robertson playing a single minute in the first round. Each is close to returning to the lineup, meaning the Stars are in a better way than the Jets, who could be without Scheifele and Morrissey. Heiskanen will be key for the Stars because he moves the puck quickly out of his own end, and the Jets want to get in deep with a heavy forecheck and go to work on their opponent. The Stars could use a bit more firepower — they, like the Jets, averaged just 3.00 goals per game in the first round — so getting Robertson back would be huge. Despite that, this series features the top scorers in these playoffs — Dallas’ Mikko Rantanen and Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor each has 12 points. Rantanen took over Game 7 against his former team in the third period, and has the looks of a game-wrecker right now for the Stars. Jake Oettinger had a .911 save percentage in the opening round and has looked more consistent so far in the playoffs than Hellebuyck.
Prediction: Stars in 7. They won twice on the road in Colorado and will take Game 7 in Winnipeg in what should be a fascinating, heavy-hitting, seesaw series. Oettinger will be better than Hellebuyck in the decisive game. — Jim Cerny
Staff predictions:
John Kreiser: Jets in 6
Dane Walsh: Stars in 7
Tom Castro: Stars in 7
Eric Charles: Stars in 6
Ben Leeds: Stars in 6
2025 Stanley Cup champion predictions
These picks were made before the start of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
Jim Cerny – Golden Knights
John Kreiser – Jets
Dane Walsh – Maple Leafs
Tom Castro – Golden Knights
Eric Charles – Avalanche (eliminated)
Ben Leeds – Golden Knights
